PR Newsletter August 2022
Hello Rotarians, Our Extended Families, Well-Wishers & Friends of Rotary…
The new Rotary Year brought new excitement, new energy and even newer vibrancy. Our Month 1 has been nothing less than a rollercoaster ride by itself.
The cycle of Rotary is such that it keeps moving thereby encouraging newer leaders to take charge and give in their best before handing it over to their successors. This is precisely what our outgoing President Sudhir Mehta and his team have done. The memories of his stunning speech during the Installation ceremony of President Vidhya Subramanian resonated and connected at a deeper level with one and all. What an occasion it was – having the august presence of the who’s who right from Past RI President Rtn K R Ravi Ravindran to a legacy of past, present and future leaders of Rotary from our District.
The month brought in a sneak peek of the incredible leadership quality that is deeply embedded in our President Rtn Vidhya Subramanian. We all know that she has been there and done that in her career of serving beyond herself. If this was a trailer, my friends – then wait for the full movie and am sure we all will be nothing less than standing tall to have been part of such benchmarks that would go into the annals of history for our club.
Rtn Vivek Khandelwal | Director PR 2022-23 | RC Deonar
We have taken another leap when it comes to our PR initiatives by enhancing our presence also via multiple other social media channels. What’s invariably a reality is the quality of projects that we do – without that what would really be there to showcase?
Our club website is alive and kicking – thanks to the visionary Past Presidents and the incredible support of Rtn Ravishekar Krishnawami in maintaining the same seamlessly.
It is time to walk through the journey and live the moments that made the inaugural month of the Rotary Year truly a memorable one…
Installation Ceremony
A morning that brought 220 people together with a high level of energy and enthusiasm. It was indeed a time to reminisce the year gone by and establish the year coming in.
Have you walked into events which give you a feeling – WOW! This was world-class!
This is exactly what many people who attended the event actually felt. It came in different words but meant the same thing.
The event saw the presence of 23 Past, Present and Future leaders of Rotary.
This being said – having the presence of our Chief Guest in Past Rotary International President Rtn K R Ravi Ravindran was indeed an honour for us. His suave personality was enough to add the much-needed glamour to our event…what can anyone say about his deep knowledge to inspire people irrespective of caste, creed and geography that they come from.
On one hand, we had outgoing President Sudhir Mehta with both his son and daughter alongwith octogenarian mother’s presence and blessings in the event and on the other we had many relatives from different places for our incoming President Vidhya Subramanian.
The event had a charm in 6-year-old Nikhil (son of Rtn Vidhya’s Annette Ashwita) since he held the mike strong and gave his best wishes to his maternal grandmother in serving the community at large. The family also had both their daughters from 2 different destinations in the world.
The event was seamlessly conducted and driven by Past President Shobha who flew all the way from Coimbatore to be the Master of Ceremony for this prestigious event.
Outgoing President Sudhir spoke from his heart and in a few minutes, he covered the happenings of the year under each of the avenues and areas. The entire audience was spellbound and clapped for him with a standing ovation.
In the presence of a scintillating audience, IPP Sudhir installed Rtn Vidhya Subramanian as the President for the Alpha year.
In her acceptance speech, she expressed her gratitude and took blessings from her senior family members. She felt truly honoured to be taking on the mantle of our prestigious club which entered into its 36th year and laid down the plans for RY 2022-23.
In the speech that followed from Chief Guest PRIP Ravindran, he added a variety of perspectives in terms of what was happening globally. He used storytelling and brought some reference to his Mongolia experience. He shared – Every work that we do has faces, stories, and impacts. He is of the firm belief that Rotary should be run like a business. One may question this – to say the business of what?
He aptly shares – Rotary is a business of Literacy, Health, Livelihood, Hope and Life itself
In his speech, Past RI Director and Trustee Elect Bharat Pandya talks about Reformers, Guides and Shapers. His stories and analogies have always inspired us as Rotarians from this District.
DG Sandip inspired one and all on how Alpha year is progressing. His Alpha theme was played for everyone to relate and connect with what lies ahead.
One message that came loud and clear from the speeches of the dignitaries is how they expressed that Vidhya has Conviction, Character & Courage and it is now her time to make things happen!
The ceremony was followed by a sumptuous lunch after the event’s completion at Athena Banquets in Powai.
Do watch short videos of all the 3 dignitaries (When you click, they will open into a new page for you to continue reading this newsletter)
Feedback
Dear Vidhya and Raju,
I returned last night happy that I was able to participate in an event which had so much of a familial feeling about it.
Vidhya, your remarks were excellent, lucid and relevant. It was a ‘matter of fact’ presentation beautifully wrapped in sincerity and warmth.
Your daughters and grandson were so good and I know your words were so apt in the manner you described them and the feelings you conveyed to the audience of not just the love you had for them but equally the respect they deserved. To be appreciated was to have a husband – an incoming Director of RI – who was able to take a back seat and yet was everywhere all the time wherever he was needed, demonstrating a family so full of support for each other. Long ago I learned that keeping a family together is like building a puzzle. It may be hard to gather all the pieces, but once gathered, they fit together seamlessly. I saw that seamless fit on Sunday.
Just continue doing what you are doing. You will be a star as a President! You are already a star as a wife and mother! But at the head of a club which already seemed to be firing on all cylinders, you will take it higher. I could see the respect you commanded.
Considering you are going to have two busy years ahead, I am not sure when our paths will cross again. But it will and I look to that day. In the meantime we will watch from the sidelines and feel so proud that our friend that refused to be bullied has been given an opportunity to truly lift up and enthuse the districts of these zones.
Email from PRIP Rtn K R Ravi Ravindran
Dear PE Vidhya,
Congratulations for an outstanding Installation on Sunday, June 26. The event was meticulously planned, well structured and superbly executed. The full house and the presence of who’s who of D 3141 & 3142 leadership spoke greatly of the high esteem that Deonar club in general and you & Raju in particular are held in by all.
From the national anthem (woman empowerment) to the super introduction by your grandson (& both daughters, of course) to the outstanding acceptance speech that you delivered. the event had it all. Madhavi and I were delighted to be there and see all this done to near perfection.
The 21-22 President Sudhir Mehta did a great job and spoke well, the MoC PP Shobha seamlessly held the program together. You spoke feelingly and from the heart. The flow was smooth which reflected the preparations done by your team. Well Done All! Do convey compliments to the whole team for their hard work and efforts which paid off handsomely.
It was a Sunday morning well spent amidst friends. And you were so ably supported by RIDE Raju who was here, there and everywhere. It was a privilege to have Past RI President Ravindran as the chief guest.
Congratulations once more and Madhavi and I wish you all the best for the 22-23 year.
Warm regards
Bharat Pandya
Email from Past RI Director & Trustee Elect Bharat Pandya
Dear Vidhya and Raju – thank you for all your warmth, hospitality and honour given to Malini and me today. Your gifts were also indeed very thoughtful and personal. Wishing you all the best always – with gratitude – Sandip and Malini
DG Sandip
Awesome Installation ceremony. Excellent attendance both from Club as well as District. Looked like a District level programme. Faultless execution. Excellent venue and wonderful lunch. Each one of the speaker spoke from the heart. Pres Sudhir’s presentation was exceptionally good. Thank you Sudhir for giving a fabulous year. God Bless you. And what to speak about Bharat and PRIP Ravindran – both very passionate presentations. And finally to Vidhya – you have set very high standards and expectations. Trust – the whole club and our dear Raju will make Alpha year a rocking year.
Kulbhushan Jetly
Vidhya and Raju, it was a fabulous installation absolutely well timed and moved forward in a way that one looked forward to what was coming next. I do not know what an RI President’s installation is but is it something like this?. Congratulations and wishing Vidhya all the best! To you also Raju all the best as Sergeant in Arms,! Hope our attendance is better!!
Usha Desai
It was actually brilliant the way it was presented on the full screen at the back. Gave a feel like the RI President Elect was right there and addressing us from the stage!
Sanjay Mehta
Vidhya was outstanding today. Superb presentation of Rotary international and our club…lets dream of future ..not yesterday..
Kannan
Jeevandan
What’s a better way to showcase your commitment to the community?
Organising a blood donation camp on the 1st day of the year has been a practice for a very long time and this district-led initiative made many clubs join hands culminating in 117 units of blood collected at the Ghatkopar railway station.
Director – Medical Rtn Jaisal Jetsey says
In times when blood supply is running, people are always thankful to Rotary for their support in organising such kinds of blood collection drive.
PP Rtn Sunil Thakkar shared that in total, there were 1043 bottles collected from several railway stations as part of this drive.
Khel Khel Mein
Khel Khel Mein, run by Wockhardt Foundation, is an initiative to instil value education for underprivileged children. The idea is to impart valuable and happier life to the less fortunate through education and good health.
The much-needed life skills & value of education to young children is passed through the medium of educational toys.
It gave an opportunity to children between the age group of 6 – 12 years to play with toys and games with an emphasis on human values. This program intends to develop the child’s spiritual and emotional quotient which in turn will help in their holistic human development.
In this edu-recreational centre, every child gets the opportunity to explore & develop recreational pursuits like sports entertainment & hobbies.
13 Alpha Women Presidents got together for a Joint project. The Center at Kherwadi is sponsored by 13 Clubs for a whole year. Vocational training activities will be conducted by the 13 Clubs solely or jointly at the Center
Jointly organised with the support of the Wockhardt Foundation, this district-led initiative was organised in Bandra East and it benefitted 32 young minds.
Art for the Soul – Collaboration for Mini Fund Raising by RC Deonar
This was an event organized by some of the budding women artists in association with our club.
They say the basic nature of a woman is closely allied to art, and when a cohort of beautiful women comes together due to Art, the outcome is truly mesmerizing. That’s what happened when 6 beautiful women came together to express their art on canvas.
The event was led by Bhavna Kukreja (Ann of Rtn Ashwini Kukreja) who had several other participating artists – Jayana Shah, Rekha Prakash, Pooja Taneja, Pooja Chopra, Kirti Mehta. They collectively displayed around 100 paintings on canvas and the event saw over 300 visitors.
The event inauguration was done by Smt Padma Sharma who is herself a connoisseur of art & dance. It also saw the presence of President Vidhya Subramanian and many other Rotarians and their families.
It was a professionally managed exhibition cum sale where a part of sales proceeds was donated to the Rotary Club Of Deonar. This donation is committed to our cause of women’s empowerment project Project Pink Angels.
It’s so interesting to note that the event was curated by a woman, all artists were women, the inauguration was done by a woman and the noble cause was also about empowering women with the Rotary President also being a very enterprising woman herself.
Art for the soul was a success, artists were happy, the patrons were fascinated by the superb display of varied forms of art, the artists could contribute towards a noble cause and to top it all this exhibition was covered in Mumbai Times through the active engagement by Bhavana herself.
Yes, You Can – A Program for Women Encouragement!
President Vidhya gave an interesting flavour to the Rodeos with her initiative titled – Yes, You Can – our first step towards Encouraging the Empowered.
Rtn Jhankar Gadkari in his own inimitable style kept sending teasers prior to the program – one such teaser was this beautiful bus image that you can see here
The entire bus journey was fun-loving since it started from Diamond Garden Bus stop and stopped by at several places before culminating at the BPGC meeting venue.
The first of its kind – an all-women crew of BEST Bus i.e. Lady bus driver and Lady conductor – Lakshmi and Sujata were felicitated by Rotary Club of Deonar in its 1st regular meeting for the Rotary Year 2022-23.
Lakshmi and Sujata invited their close family and friends to witness the felicitation where they were honoured with beautifully designed plaques by our club.
They both narrated their struggles and how they went on this unique path to achieve not just success but also a voice of their own. Rtn Jhankar as the Master of Ceremony was at his usual best in making both the ladies extremely comfortable on stage and empowered them to interact with the audience seamlessly.
Our first step towards Encouraging the Empowered:
This was also showcased on social media – Click here:
Kudos to our President Vidhya, started the year off with big bang, Jhankarji’s presentation leaves me spell bound every time. I think I’ve attended all his meetings, informative, intellectual, get to learn from them..
Nice to meet the first Lady BEST bus driver and conductor in person. It requires quite a bit of discipline, grit and determination for them to get where they are.
Dr Rtn Meera Chandramouli
Awareness of Burns Prevention, First Aid and Organ Donation
Director – Medical Rtn Jaisal Jetsey says
The 2nd medical project of the Alpha year had its foundation in the premise that awareness is the key to bringing about a change.
Keeping this perspective, a seminar was organised on awareness of burns prevention, first aid and organ donation. This seminar was held at General Education Academy School in Chembur.
The students of Class 8 & 9 were the audience of this wonderful presentation organised by the team from the National Burns Center.
In total, there were 185 listeners including students and teachers. The event also saw the attendance of many Rotarians and Rotaractors.
The talk by Dr. Kanan Gharat focused on burns safety and our member Rtn Dr Sunil Keswani enthralled the young minds and teachers on the importance of organ, eye and skin donation.
The entire event was a seamless flow. It was gratifying to see the students taking notes, especially on Burns Prevention and First Aid.
The success of this event was an outcome of the effort and support of Rtn Naresh Shenoy, Senior School Administrator – Ms Manali and the faculty members of General Education Academy.
The event culminated with an awesome poetic gratitude – penned by the teacher on behalf of the GEA family:
The session on Organ Donation and Burns Prevention;
Was beautifully presented with students in rapt attention.
The inspiring words by President Vidhya Subramaniam at the start;
Specifying how educators are…touched our hearts.
The lovely intro with a poetic verse by Dr Sunil Keswani;
proved that he’s excellent in oratory as well as plastic surgery.
The interactive session on Burns by Dr. Kanan;
Covered the A to Z of burns, far better than anyone can.
Dr Sunil Keswani, organ donation is the need of the hour
Thank you for the knowledge and awareness, from which we were afar.
Thank You The Rotary Club of Deonar for all that you do;
We, the GEA, are blessed to be associated with stalwarts like you.
Check this link uploaded by Rtn Naresh Shenoy on FB:
Congrats, Nandu and the General Education Academy, Jaisal, Meera, Prabodh, Jaideep, and of course Prez Vidhya and Puja. Also to the speakers especially Dr. Sunil Keswani. His involvement is fantastic.
At this time I remember his father who was the first plastic surgeon to take up burns cases and set up a ward at the JJ when we were students. Dr. Keswani was indeed a pioneer and Sunil has taken it up and expanded it. I missed one person and that is Rema. Congrats to all the team.
PP Rtn Usha Desai
Uplifting the life of young Roshni Malik through Global Grant!
Three-year-old Roshni Malik was admitted on May 1st week to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai under the ongoing Global Grant 2122113.
She had a Congenital Heart Defect known as the Tetralogy of Fallot. This is a situation where the child has not one or two but four defects in the heart and requires immediate surgery.
After successful surgery, Roshni was discharged on 17th May 2022.
Roshni’s parents celebrated her birthday for the first time with the team of surgeons and technicians at KDAH.
Her parents brought a cake to the hospital and celebrated her birthday with the team who has given her a fresh lease of life.
Roshni’s mother then distributed the cake to all the children present in the OPD.
This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our partnering Clubs and our International Partner – the Rotary Club of Campo Mourao, Brazil.
3rd Global Grant is Underway!
Director – Medical Rtn Jaisal Jetsey has been on fire with his announcement on the initiation of the 3rd Global Grant for Paediatric Cardiac Surgeries. Our International Partner Club for this Global Grant is RC Miami Airport.
Club Assembly – In presence of AG Sunita Sainani
Each of the Directors shared their plans and way forward for the year. The meeting was very well appreciated by everyone in the club and by AG
AG Sunita Sainani sent her experience in the following words:
Thank you so much Vidhya ji, for inviting me in today’s club assembly. It was a great experience to see all the directors fully involved and explaining the projects of the year. Everyone was talking through their hearts… Please, congratulate all on my behalf. Wishing you a very successful Rotary year.
Interact Installation of General Education Academy
Installation of the new team led by Interact President Yashaswini with her Board, for the RY 2022-23 happened at the School Hall of the General Education Academy, Chembur.
The new team of President, Secretary and Club Officers were very excited and grateful to the members of the Rotary Club of Deonar for all their support.
President Rtn Vidhya shared – Total number of Interactors was 125. The incoming President Yashaswini spoke with a high degree of confidence. It was a pleasure listening to her and also getting a glimpse of her leadership skills.
Rtn Herzel Isaac with his experience from the previous year also shared –
Yashaswini is very sharp and she wants to be an IAS Officer. She spoke with full confidence in front of the DG last time we met in Sindhi Society Gym.
The whole GEA team was confidence-personified 💪🏻👍🏻✨
Umbrella Distribution at Shahaji Nagar Tamil Municipal Public School
What started in the previous month continued again, in a new school. The objective was straight – protecting the children from getting wet in this rainy weather.
It was all about distributing RC Deonar branded umbrellas to secondary school children of Shahaji Nagar Municipal Public School, MG Ramachandra Marg, Datta Nagar, Trombay in the Mankhurd area of Mumbai.
This benefitted 100 students of the school.
The children were elated to receive the umbrellas as they would help them reach the school without getting wet. Principal Mr Dasson was very happy that we are continuing with our support to the school.
RC Deonar has been associated with this school for several years. We have supported the school with computers, water purifiers, and notebooks
An Urban Forest was developed on the school grounds, using the Miyawaki technique.
Fun fact:
What came as an interesting fact is when there came a request from the Principal of the School to our Club President …if she could speak in Tamil and guess what – she did it!
The bigger piece here is that she has given many speeches in English, Hindi, Marathi & Gujarati however it was her first time in Tamil.
Following is the feedback that came from the School Principal:
Thanks, Rotary Club of Deonar💐💐💐💐 for their support of 100 Umbrellas to the Students.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
U have been helping a lot for our School over the years. Thanks a lot
Chocolates & Clothes Distribution at Abhinav Dyan Mandir School
The idea of distributing clothes and chocolates to underprivileged children leads to experiencing joy on their faces. This is what gives Rodeos much-needed happiness.
Jointly with the support of First Cry, our club members assembled at this project to impact over 100 young children of Abhinav Dyan Mandir School situated at VN Purav Road, Dhobi Ghat, Sainath Nagar in the Trombay area of Mumbai.
View this post on Instagram
Meeting patients of Ops Restore
Our Ops Restore Service Champion Rtn Rema Nair joined hands with President-Elect Sangeeta Shahani to visit Ops Restore patients at the National Burns Center
Reviving unused Computers
Reviving usage of unused computers at Shahaji Nagar Tamil Municipal Public School
The issue of some unused computers, previously donated (unused due to minor issues or lack of handling skills in the school), was fully resolved – under the guidance of Rtn Sanjay Mehta through the staff from his organisation – Mirum.
All computers were made operational again.
Gratitude to Mirum for making this happen and bringing happiness to the school and their students!
Project Zariya – A bulletin that has it all
You would recollect the kind of work that our club had done under Project Zariya in partnership with Rotaract. This had happened under the able leadership of Vision PP Prabodh Sharma.
PP Prabodh shares
Zariya is indeed a wonderful Project, started in the Vision year 20-21, by Rotaract District 3141 with our club’s support.
Prabodh, Shanmukha, Ravishekar and Herzel had made the first initial trip towards this project. It was also equally supported by PP Liladhar, Jaisal, Suneet and King Kannan (Shelu Naresh). DRR Rtr Ojas was instrumental to drive this on the Rotaract front.
The team did a series of visits for survey and execution as and when possible in the face of Covid restrictions The support was continued by IPP Sudhir and Dream team in RY 21-22 for the solar power installation.
Support for Dog Food
PP Rtn Padma Kapoor appreciated Rtn Deepak Jiandani for his efforts and support towards sourcing dog food.
PP Rtn Jhankar Gadkari rightly said
The Dogged Resolve of DJ has been responsible for the Dog Food
PP Rtn Goutam Bhattacharya shared
Good gesture from DJ with Padma being the driving force
Know Your Rotarian
We released a snippet on our social platforms about Rtn Herzel Isaac.
View this post on Instagram
Visibility:
Check out the RID 3141 GML released on Aug ‘22
Here are the 2 coverages we received for the month of July ’22 ->
Celebrations
RI President Jennifer Jones and Ann Nick in India
President Vidhya enjoyed the moments with RI President Jennifer and Ann Nick at their Anniversary celebrations in Pune.
Rtn Goutam Bhattacharya in Italy
We all know the flavour of destination weddings having seen celebs sharing their images. This time, it was the turn of a Rodeo to be in a similar set-up
Rtn Goutam Bhattacharya and Ann Ratna shared some beautiful images from their trip to Italy for a destination wedding.
Rotaract Club of Deonar shines at Aara to have received numerous awards and accolades.
Director – Youth for RY 2021-22 Rtn Herzel Isaac proudly shared the incredible achievements that were brought by our youth wing
IPP Sudhir Mehta shares
Fantastic performance by Rotaractors. Herzel you hv been a big time motivator to young team.. kudos to you also 👏👏
Rtn Jhankar Gadkari shared his visit of Room No. 711
At the RI Headquarters, the 1st meeting setup of Rotary which happened on 23rd Feb 1905 has been existing. It is a must-visit place for every Rotarian.
Rtn Jhankar shared this pic from his last visit – the address of the 1st ever meeting was: Room 711, Unity Bldg, Dearborn St, Chicago.
Rtn Kavita Kulkarni and Ann Sudhir celebrated their 50th Anniversary
Rodeos showered their blessings to the lovely couple – Kavita and Sudhir on their golden jubilee year of togetherness.
Blue Ribbon Awardee – Ms. Bimlesh Navani showcased on LinkedIn
I wrote the following article recognising the efforts and background of Ms. Bimlesh Navani – our Blue Ribbon awardee.
3D Painting by Annette Nupur Gadkari
Rtn Jhankar Gadkari shared a beautiful 3D painting of Amethyst which is her birthstone. This is a 3D on paper.
This is what also got circulated via our Whatsapp groups.
In her varied roles and responsibilities, President Vidhya was also seen at one of the initiatives of the Inner Wheel Club – She donated umbrellas and tarpaulin sheets to the blind from Manav Seva Sangh
RI Director Elect PDG Raju in action
PDG Rtn Raju is seen in this media during RC Garden City’s Installation.
Cdr Rtn Jana invited to SNDT Women’s University
Cdr Rtn Sushanta Jana was invited by the Vice Chancellor of SNDT Women’s University for their prize distribution ceremony.
NBC inaugurates a Creche and Gym at NBC
Rtn Dr Sunil Keswani shared – One more historic day in the evolution of NBC with the addition of 3 more facilities 😊
- Play area – For children with Burns
- Creche – For Hospital staff
- Gymnasium- For Hospital personnel
This was also covered in Media – Click here to see the same
Rtn Nandu Shenoy is headed to Australia for Cricket!
He shared the following:
Now nothing can stop me to go to Australia to play 60+ world cup for INDIA from 2 September to 15th September and if and when I get a chance to play in the XL then I will prove that I was good enough to play earlier in my hey days.
Rtn Sanjay Mehta and his Walks
Rtn Sanjay Mehta this time shared from his trip to Kharghar in Navi Mumbai.
He shared the following:
The long walk from Utsav Chowk circle to the Kharghar Central Park is fabulously green! And getting drenched in the rain (I did not bring out the poncho I was carrying in my pocket, preferring to enjoy getting wet in the rains instead!) was an absolute bonus. The Kharghar Central Park is totally justified in using that NYC-inspired name for the park, massive as it is, with a large water body, huge open lawns, a very impressive open amphitheatre etc. Across from the Park is the amazing Kharghar Golf Course, which was also where I grabbed a good simple breakfast at their cafe! A good nearly 9 km rainy walk on a Saturday morning in July.
Rtn Herzel Isaac’s dedication
Rtn Herzel Isaac and his running is something that we all have been seeing and reading about. This time he dedicated a run of 7kms to our Soldiers on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Divas
Rtn Suneet and his generosity
Rtn Suneet is very well known for his support of the donation of books year after year. This time he came forward to also donate fans to the needy.
It is these small steps that add so much value to the community.
Nostalgia – Aren’t we all fond of getting into nostalgic feelings? Reading this will surely take you into a similar feeling
Here’s a letter that was written way back in RY 2006-07 by the then President – Rtn Usha Desai
An Appeal
The Rotary Club of Deonar chartered in 1987 is a part of Dist. 3140 of the Rotary International – a large NGO spread over 168 countries that have just completed a century of “Service before Self.
One of the biggest and most successful projects of Rotary International has been in the area of Polio eradication.
Started in 1985 as a Polio Plus project, it has made a remarkable change in the control of Polio and is looking forward to total control of the disease and the disabilities resulting from it. Dist 3140 in Mumbai – the premier city of India has been at the forefront of the fight against Polio. Mumbai also has the distinction of being the largest contributor from India to the Rotary Foundation which is responsible for worldwide humanitarian projects. The District has 107 clubs and The Rotary Club of Deonar is one of the active Clubs in the District. Since its charter, the club has been undertaking humanitarian projects in areas of the Eastern suburbs of Mumbai that lie below the poverty line. This area has probably some of the largest slums in Asia and the Club has programs that will help in improving the health and education of the population in the area.
Ongoing services outlined below are undertaken by the club year after year and these are community-based and deeply connected with uplifting the community:
- Primary Health Care and Polio Immunisation.
- Provision of clean drinking water in schools in the area.
- Polio Corrective Surgery in and outside Mumbai.
- Cataract Surgery in order to reduce blindness.
- Nutrition in adolescent girls together with counselling.
- Functional Literacy.
- Vocational Guidance and training.
- Women’s Empowerment.
Under its “Model Village Programme, the club has adopted a cluster of villages in the Vangani-Shelu area, 80 km from Mumbai where it has implemented various community programmes in order to create self-employment amongst the people living in such areas as also to make the women independent.
In the second year of the second century of service, Rotary International and Dist 3140 has pledged itself to “Lead the Way”.
This year, the thrust areas for our projects are very relevant to the needs of our country and our society. They will address the underprivileged, and the mentally or physically challenged, and conserve the environment.
Our major projects in the year 2006-2007 are:
- Vocational training and counselling for the underprivileged and the challenged youth.
- Water conservation and harnessing of rainwater.
India and especially Mumbai receives very good rainfall in the monsoon to the extent of 2500 mm per year and yet by the time summer approaches there is a shortage of water leading to delays and difficulties in our agricultural plans, and also leading to an increased incidence of water-borne diseases. There is expertise available in the conservation of water and the District has decided to make it a thrust area. One of our major plans is to build check dams and store the excess water. All of this will not be possible without adequate resources. Where human resources are concerned, in addition to our Partners –in Service, – Rotaractors, Inner Wheel, and Interactors, we plan to interact with other clubs in the District and with other NGOs. There will be a definite need for financial resources and it is for this that we make this appeal. It is a pledge we have made to ourselves and to our community and we seek your wholehearted support and generous donation so that we can make a difference.
Dr Usha Desai | President 2006-2007 | Rotary Club of Deonar
(See how far we have come in our journey of serving the community in the last 16 years)
Woohoo 💯🙌
If you have come this far…my compliments to you. It only shows that you love and respect Rotary and the people who are serving this global platform. Do your bit by copying this link and sharing it with people whom you would like to inspire on social and community services
Feedback on the Newsletter from AG Sunita Sainani:
Good morning Vidhya ji, Yes I have read the News Letter. I must tell you, it’s written so well and in detail… Each and every project is captured very nicely… Three cheers to Vivek and PR team for such a beautiful Newsletter… Congratulations for getting 2 Global Grants and getting Gold Citation for the Dream year.
Here’s the message shared by President Rtn Vidhya Subramanian as we embarked on the 2nd month of the current Rotary Year:
https://www.rotarydeonar.com/from-the-president-august-2022/
I, on behalf of the PR Team 2021-22 take this opportunity to express my gratitude for all your love and affection. Looking forward to your continued support.
With Rotary Cheers!
I had a sneek peek into the August Club Bulletin before others got to see it. My first impression was just a BIG WOW. The 3 interviews were so well conducted. Every July Project has been very extensively covered. The pictorial depiction is wonderful. Thanks once again for a pleasurable reading experience
Fabulous coverage Vivek and team. Great work done by the Rodeos. Keep shining and make a difference. Imagine Rotary
Dear Vidhya and Vivek
Congratulations on bringing out a brilliant newsletter. What a wide coverage of all the wonderful things RC of Deonar is doing this year! Much thought has gone in the meticulous reporting of projects and events.
You began with aplomb at your wonderful installation ceremony, Vidhya. We are only in August and I hear about your club everywhere, not to miss the so-looked-forward-to forthcoming Onam celebrations. And your newsletter says that you are already receiving your third global grant. Wow.
I loved the interviews, Vivek. All of them. And did not miss out the efforts you have put in each like the transcription running alongside or the pop-ups. Good thinking. I have seen you right since the time you were an alternate GSE member and how beautifully you have blossomed into a Rotarian.
With vibrant Vidhya’s great leadership and out-of-the-box thinking on various projects and Vivek’s editorial and media expertise, I am sure each issue will have substantial content to read. I wouldn’t want to miss out on any of your newsletters.
Wishing Vidhya, Vivek and the Club a vibrant year.
Vidyottama Prafull Sharma
Thank You so much Vidyottama Ji for such kind words. Glad that the work executed by our club connected with you so deeply.
Am so happy that you loved the interviews. Coming from you…means a lot. I can completely understand the detailing that you have observed and indeed I’ve been able to grow into Rotary with a foundation that you and Prafull ji have built in the early years.GSE and its associated experiences are so invaluable to me!!
Looking forward to your continued engagement in our future newsletters. Your thoughts will always be an inspiration for our club and for sure to me as well!